Lent 2
Luke 13:31-35
31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you." 32 He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day--for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! 34 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' "
The 2nd Sunday of Lent’s gospel reading in year C comes from a section in Luke that is commonly called the “travel narrative,” or in other words, the series of stories that occur WHILE Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem to die.
Given that I have chosen to hook myself to a Lenten sermon series of “Roads of Life,” a passage from the Travel Narrative is particularly appropriate on several fronts. This week’s “road” is the “ROAD OF DANGER,” which is extremely evident within the text itself.
V31 says: At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you. Some commentators see this as a less than genuine “concern” on the part of these Pharisees, because they have fallen into the thinking that ALL Pharisees are ALWAYS antagonistic to Jesus. This is an over-simplification of the matter, especially in Luke-Acts. There’s nothing in the context of the text to make us think that these PARTICULAR Pharisees—whoever they are—don’t have Jesus’ well being in mind. Another part of that thinking is that they’re trying to ‘herd’ Jesus from this trans-Jordan area that’s under Herod’s control toward Judea, where the Jewish ruling class has more control (so that they can do him in). The problem with this logic is that (a) if they wanted him ‘done in,’ they’ve already said Herod wants to kill him, why not just rat him out to Herod? And (b) Jesus is on his way to Judea/Jerusalem anyway! So, I go with the opinion that these particular Pharisees mean Jesus no harm and they’re legitimately warning him about threats they’ve heard.
Another important detail is that these are extremely VALID threats. This is the same Herod [Antipas] who had John the Baptist—an EXTREMELY popular local prophet—not only imprisoned, but then put to death. Clearly, Herod had no qualms against killing a supposed ‘holy man.’ One can well imagine that if Herod “wants to kill you,” you will likely end up dead. The practical application here is that on the ROAD OF DANGER, the risks & threats are REAL. In 21st c. America we almost have to deal in metaphors, as we risk practically nothing when we gather in worship or buy one of hundreds of possible copies of the bible at our local reseller. We constantly need to remind ourselves that brothers & sisters in the faith in other lands risk their lives simply by trying to follow Jesus. Their threats are real. What are our threats?
Another interesting aspect of this reading is Jesus’ response to the news that he’s in danger. It’s almost belligerent. Vs 32: “Go tell that fox…” basically, go tell him that I’m not changing my itinerary one bit. “Fox,” by the way does not likely carry with it our sense of “cunning” or “shrewdness.” Herod was about as cunning as a wrecking ball. A fox was a dangerous, though lower level predator; an apt description of one of Rome’s client bully-kings, to be sure. I think Luke’s primary point in this section of the text is to remind us that Jesus chooses this path INTENTIONALLY. He knows, or at least senses what lies ahead, and yet he is driven to it because he realizes it’s the Father’s will. In vs 33 he says, “in any case, I MUST PRESS ON…” which is the English rendering of the Greek “dei” (it is NECESSARY).
One of those perplexing mysteries for me has always gone like this….if Jesus HAD to die for the sins of the world, why didn’t he die at some of the other places of danger in his life? Why didn’t Herod the Great kill him when he slaughtered the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem? Why didn’t the mob at Nazareth succeed in throwing him off the cliff? Why, why why? Texts like this seem to point to something necessarily PARTICULAR about the type & place of death as being just as important as the death itself. Regardless, Jesus illustrates his ultimate dedication to the Father’s will in deliberately holding fast to this path. It’s CHALLENGING for us, because we--especially in our post-modern culture—do not often idealize someone with a “martyr complex.” We tend to think, what a dope! Run away! Choose life! But for Jesus, it’s not that he was choosing death….as much as he was CHOOSING LOVE….which happened to lead through death.
The passage ends with a poignant and heavily symbolic lament over Jerusalem. The “house that’s left to them desolate” V35 is an obvious Lukan (post 70AD) remark regarding the utter destruction of the Temple by Rome. The imagery of chicks who refuse to be gathered brings several things to mind: in nature it’s instinctive; they WOULD have come, but in God’s kingdom, robotic or forced conversion is never the case. The hen stands willing to gather us in, but it’s through the love of the Gospel not force. The other thing that comes to mind is that if the chicks refuse to be gathered, it’s either because they feel powerful enough on their own OR they feel they can find a better protector than a mother (who in nature usually protects her chicks simply by giving her own life to the predator). In either case, the chicks are sadly mistaken.
When I read this passage and think of the ROAD OF DANGER, I can’t help but think of Salvation Army Maj. Philip Wise. Major Wise was gunned down by two men outside of a community center in Little Rock, AK, this last Christmas Eve. That’s right, CHRISTMAS EVE. The men wanted money. Major Wise and his wife (also a Salvation Army officer) and three kids were supposed to be going home to spend the holidays with family. Some of us, when we read that story, were filled with hatred and loathing that such a good man was brutally murdered. If he were with us in earthly ministry today, I wonder what Jesus would’ve done. My hunch is that he would’ve gone to Little Rock to minister on that ROAD OF DANGER.
Cheers,
TM
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
sunday Feb 21st, thoughts going in
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
4:1-13pp -- Mt 4:1-11; Mk 1:12,13
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'People do not live on bread alone.' " 5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours." 8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' " 9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' " 12 Jesus answered, "It is said: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
For Lent, and at the suggestion of Sundays & Seasons, I’m locking myself in to a neat sounding sermon series entitled “Roads of Life.” In this series, each Sunday of Lent will explore a different “road.” The first Sunday of Lent explores the “Road of Truth.”
Having said that, there is still an opportunity to break the text down in preparation for the coming Sunday:
Vs1: Note that Jesus was led “by the Spirit into the wilderness.” It is a TRUTH that sometimes our own “wilderness experiences” happen PRECISELY because God led us out there in the first place. Granted, maybe we bumbled/stumbled our way out there accidentally because we walked away from God, but more than likely if we did that, we’re not in the ‘wilderness,’ we’re [metaphorically speaking] in Herod’s palace taking part in some drunken orgy. The point is this….when God leads us out into the wilderness, our response should not be “God, what on earth were you thinking?” We need to remember that God’s MISSION (think mission in military terms) is to redeem the world. This is accomplished by sending the troops out on dangerous missions—sometimes in the wilderness.
Vs2: This is more of a ‘feeling’ than anything concrete, but the flow of the text gives us the impression that the wilderness is a common abode of the Devil. Like….Jesus goes there, & Satan was there waiting for him—he doesn’t just “appear.” At the very least, Satan is ‘comfortable’ in the wilderness.
Vss 3-4: Jesus is fasting—evidently in the total sense, going completely without food. In some ways he’s stacking the deck against himself, becoming physically weaker. However, the battle he’s fighting—though it includes physical matter—is a spiritual one. When he responds to Satan’s suggestion “people do not live by bread alone,” he is saying that there is A LIFE that he is tapping into that does not require bread to support. This is the spiritual life. Note a truth: Satan appears to be simply offering a helpful suggestion: “hey man, you look hungry; you’ve got the power, turn this rock into bread.” HOWEVER, a simple suggestion offered at the wrong time can VERY WELL equal temptation…in which, succumbing to it, would equal SIN. Of course as every commentator points out, Jesus counters Satan with THE WORD.
Vss 5-8: The text is vague as to whether this happens literally, or if this is some kind of vision or altered state of consciousness for Jesus. Some question whether or not the Devil is being TOTALLY truthful when he says that the world’s authority & splendor belongs to him & he can give it to anyone he wants. John 12:31 is mustered in support, when it says now the “prince/ruler of this world is cast out.” BUT in John’s gospel the “world” in this context refers not to the physical reality around us, but rather to the sphere of unbelief/rejection of Jesus. In contrast, Romans 13 teaches that human governments belong to God—even tho they are often used against him by sinful rulers. So, this “offer” on Satan’s part may or may not have been legit. Regardless, Jesus doesn’t get hung up on THAT detail, he goes for the salient detail of WORSHIP….and who alone is worthy of worship.
Vss 9-12—is it just coincidence that after mentioning “worship” the devil leads Jesus to the pinnacle of the Temple (evidently this was a real bodily experience)?
I think one of the neat things about this week’s concentration being on the “road of truth” is that both Satan and Jesus use The Scriptures. The Scriptures are “quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword,” but they’re not magic. In diabolical hands they can be twisted to say almost anything.
This is challenging because we all want and need not only access to the book of truth, but to its right interpretation.
cheers,
TM
4:1-13pp -- Mt 4:1-11; Mk 1:12,13
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'People do not live on bread alone.' " 5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours." 8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' " 9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' " 12 Jesus answered, "It is said: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
For Lent, and at the suggestion of Sundays & Seasons, I’m locking myself in to a neat sounding sermon series entitled “Roads of Life.” In this series, each Sunday of Lent will explore a different “road.” The first Sunday of Lent explores the “Road of Truth.”
Having said that, there is still an opportunity to break the text down in preparation for the coming Sunday:
Vs1: Note that Jesus was led “by the Spirit into the wilderness.” It is a TRUTH that sometimes our own “wilderness experiences” happen PRECISELY because God led us out there in the first place. Granted, maybe we bumbled/stumbled our way out there accidentally because we walked away from God, but more than likely if we did that, we’re not in the ‘wilderness,’ we’re [metaphorically speaking] in Herod’s palace taking part in some drunken orgy. The point is this….when God leads us out into the wilderness, our response should not be “God, what on earth were you thinking?” We need to remember that God’s MISSION (think mission in military terms) is to redeem the world. This is accomplished by sending the troops out on dangerous missions—sometimes in the wilderness.
Vs2: This is more of a ‘feeling’ than anything concrete, but the flow of the text gives us the impression that the wilderness is a common abode of the Devil. Like….Jesus goes there, & Satan was there waiting for him—he doesn’t just “appear.” At the very least, Satan is ‘comfortable’ in the wilderness.
Vss 3-4: Jesus is fasting—evidently in the total sense, going completely without food. In some ways he’s stacking the deck against himself, becoming physically weaker. However, the battle he’s fighting—though it includes physical matter—is a spiritual one. When he responds to Satan’s suggestion “people do not live by bread alone,” he is saying that there is A LIFE that he is tapping into that does not require bread to support. This is the spiritual life. Note a truth: Satan appears to be simply offering a helpful suggestion: “hey man, you look hungry; you’ve got the power, turn this rock into bread.” HOWEVER, a simple suggestion offered at the wrong time can VERY WELL equal temptation…in which, succumbing to it, would equal SIN. Of course as every commentator points out, Jesus counters Satan with THE WORD.
Vss 5-8: The text is vague as to whether this happens literally, or if this is some kind of vision or altered state of consciousness for Jesus. Some question whether or not the Devil is being TOTALLY truthful when he says that the world’s authority & splendor belongs to him & he can give it to anyone he wants. John 12:31 is mustered in support, when it says now the “prince/ruler of this world is cast out.” BUT in John’s gospel the “world” in this context refers not to the physical reality around us, but rather to the sphere of unbelief/rejection of Jesus. In contrast, Romans 13 teaches that human governments belong to God—even tho they are often used against him by sinful rulers. So, this “offer” on Satan’s part may or may not have been legit. Regardless, Jesus doesn’t get hung up on THAT detail, he goes for the salient detail of WORSHIP….and who alone is worthy of worship.
Vss 9-12—is it just coincidence that after mentioning “worship” the devil leads Jesus to the pinnacle of the Temple (evidently this was a real bodily experience)?
I think one of the neat things about this week’s concentration being on the “road of truth” is that both Satan and Jesus use The Scriptures. The Scriptures are “quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword,” but they’re not magic. In diabolical hands they can be twisted to say almost anything.
This is challenging because we all want and need not only access to the book of truth, but to its right interpretation.
cheers,
TM
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Sunday Feb 14th, thoughts going in
The Transfiguration
Luke 9:28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, 31 appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.) 34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not."
----
Well, it’s Transfiguration again….which is not exactly most preachers favorite Sunday of the church year for sermon development. There’s only so many ideas that fit, and after a while everyone’s heard it all before. Peter wants to preserve his mountain top experience, and you can’t do that, blah blah blah.
For some reason, this year more than others, I’ve really been thinking a lot about the OTHER NINE disciples—you know, the guys who NEVER get to see Jesus do any of the special stuff. When it comes to following the Lord, who has & who needs the stronger faith….those guys up there on the mountain seeing Moses & Elijah, hearing voices from heaven, seeing Jesus shining like the sun, or those guys down in the valley listening to some father’s problems about his demon possessed kid & not being able to fix the problem? Sometimes I wonder what kept them from chucking it all and going back to fishing or tax collecting. The only thing I can think of is that somehow the grace of God must’ve been sufficient in their lives to keep them from bolting.
It seems horribly relevant for us in our lot, since we’re not up on a mountain-top witnessing miraculous signs and wonders either…..but are, rather, slogging it out down here in the trenches with the demons. May we, like those other nine disciples, find God’s grace to be sufficient.
cheers,
TM
Luke 9:28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, 31 appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.) 34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not."
----
Well, it’s Transfiguration again….which is not exactly most preachers favorite Sunday of the church year for sermon development. There’s only so many ideas that fit, and after a while everyone’s heard it all before. Peter wants to preserve his mountain top experience, and you can’t do that, blah blah blah.
For some reason, this year more than others, I’ve really been thinking a lot about the OTHER NINE disciples—you know, the guys who NEVER get to see Jesus do any of the special stuff. When it comes to following the Lord, who has & who needs the stronger faith….those guys up there on the mountain seeing Moses & Elijah, hearing voices from heaven, seeing Jesus shining like the sun, or those guys down in the valley listening to some father’s problems about his demon possessed kid & not being able to fix the problem? Sometimes I wonder what kept them from chucking it all and going back to fishing or tax collecting. The only thing I can think of is that somehow the grace of God must’ve been sufficient in their lives to keep them from bolting.
It seems horribly relevant for us in our lot, since we’re not up on a mountain-top witnessing miraculous signs and wonders either…..but are, rather, slogging it out down here in the trenches with the demons. May we, like those other nine disciples, find God’s grace to be sufficient.
cheers,
TM
Monday, February 8, 2010
Reading Project
Stephen Ministry reading project….
You may not know this, but part of our Stephen Ministry group’s continuing education is, typically, to read and discuss books that are relevant to caring ministry.
This year we’re reading two books by Dr. Alan Wolfelt: Understanding your grief, Ten essential touchstones for finding hope and healing in your heart, and A Handbook for Companioning the Mourner. As you can probably tell from the titles, the second book is more specifically relevant to the task of a Stephen Minister. However, it is my opinion that we are much more prepared to minister to someone else in their grief when we fully understand our own—hence the assignment of reading both books.
Having said that, it struck me that I should inform the whole parish as to this year’s Stephen Ministry reading assignment. After all, grief is common to all of us as humans, and Dr. Wolfelt has a particular gift when it comes to helping in this area. I would therefore heartily recommend his book Understanding your grief, Ten essential touchstones for finding hope and healing in your heart, isbn# 1879651351. This can be purchased online from Amazon.com or any number of other booksellers.
God bless,
Pastor Manwell
You may not know this, but part of our Stephen Ministry group’s continuing education is, typically, to read and discuss books that are relevant to caring ministry.
This year we’re reading two books by Dr. Alan Wolfelt: Understanding your grief, Ten essential touchstones for finding hope and healing in your heart, and A Handbook for Companioning the Mourner. As you can probably tell from the titles, the second book is more specifically relevant to the task of a Stephen Minister. However, it is my opinion that we are much more prepared to minister to someone else in their grief when we fully understand our own—hence the assignment of reading both books.
Having said that, it struck me that I should inform the whole parish as to this year’s Stephen Ministry reading assignment. After all, grief is common to all of us as humans, and Dr. Wolfelt has a particular gift when it comes to helping in this area. I would therefore heartily recommend his book Understanding your grief, Ten essential touchstones for finding hope and healing in your heart, isbn# 1879651351. This can be purchased online from Amazon.com or any number of other booksellers.
God bless,
Pastor Manwell
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Sunday Feb 7th, thoughts going in
Luke 5:1-11 1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." 5 Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people." 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Some key thoughts/ideas going in…
The readings continue to be about unlikely instruments/circumstances that reveal God’s glory in Jesus. Answering the call & leaving everything also seem to be key thoughts.
Vs 1: by “hearing Jesus,” the crowds are hearing the word of God (logon tou Theou).
Vs 3: Sitting teaching in a boat, or teaching in a synagogue or teaching on a hillside; regardless, TEACHING is the primary programmatic function of Jesus. As exemplar, we could say that it is also supposed to be the primary programmatic function of the Church.
Vs 4: “Put out to the deep.” This is an interesting turn. The teaching session is over. Jesus could’ve said “thanks” to Simon & asked to be rowed ashore. Going to the deep is necessary, tho, to catch the great shoal of fish. Was this Jesus’ “payment” for use of the boat, or simply THE SIGN used to draw these fishermen to him as disciples? (if so, it initially backfires in vs 8).
Vs 8: Simon says: “go away from me…” this is a normal response to a theophany. Jesus responds “don’t be afraid” (mey phobou, words of absolution). This is ALWAYS God’s response to the penitent sinner (cf the prayer of humble access: “but you are the same Lord, whose nature is ALWAYS TO HAVE MERCY).
Vs 11: What is the relationship between “leaving all” and following? I sense that the “all” would’ve inhibited following….
Going in to this Sunday, to say nothing of the casual worship service that will occur tonight, I have multiple thoughts swirling around in my head. First, I think this is the sort of text that confronts us with the TWO JESUSES issue. Critical scholars love to talk about the “historical Jesus” and the “post-resurrection Jesus.” The historical Jesus was the man, the apocalyptic prophet who lived two thousand years ago. But as far as they’re concerned, he also died and stayed dead two thousand years ago. On the other hand, the post-resurrection Jesus, or the “Jesus of faith” is the Jesus of mythology that came into existence when his followers wanted to keep following him, even though he’d been killed by the Romans. I read an interesting blip online about this, and related to the text:
“There’s a reason why Marcus Borg, in The Heart of Christianity, labors to disjoin the "pre-Easter Jesus" from the "post-Easter Jesus." it is easier, I think, to be in the boat with Borg’s historical Jesus -- wisdom teacher/movement initiator/social prophet -- than with Jesus the Resurrected Christ who rocks the heck out of my dead and dying world. Though Jesus tells us, "Don’t be afraid" when he promises to teach us to fish like him, it’s scary. Get out of here, Jesus.”
That is a very good point. The wisdom-teacher Jesus who died and stayed dead two thousand years ago isn’t very scary, doesn’t call us to do much, and doesn’t radically change our lives. Of course, as a brief aside, he’s also not there with us in our dark moments of the soul or walking with us in the valley of the shadow of our death. From the text, it’s obvious that the “two Jesuses” are actually one and the same.
Which brings me to Simon’s reaction: "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" I can think of two reasons why he reacted like this. The first is close to Isaiah’s reaction in the 1st reading for the day (Is 6) where—when confronted with the scene of the heavenly throne room—Isaiah says: “woe is me, I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips.” In other words, he is seeing/witnessing something SO HOLY, the realization of his own un-holiness is enough to make him believe that he is going to DIE in the next 2 seconds…..that it’s only a matter of seconds before lightning strikes him dead where he stands. This could very well be part of what’s troubling Simon. Being in the presence of THAT MUCH holiness (for only that could produce the miracle he just witnessed) was massively uncomfortable given his own un-holiness, so he does the only natural thing, he asks Jesus to LEAVE. [Interesting sidenote…..last week’s reading from Luke 4 where the entire town of Nazareth rejects Jesus is followed by this week’s reading where the Chief of the Apostles, initially, rejects him also].
But there’s also another side to this rejection that bears mentioning. I cannot help but think of the dialog between Jacob Marley’s ghost & Scrooge:
Marley: You will be haunted by three spirits…
Scrooge: [whose countenance fell at these words] Is that the chance and hope you mentioned, Jacob?
Marley: It is
Scrooge: I think I’d rather not
In other words, there was a ‘comfort’ of sorts that Scrooge had in who he was. To one degree or another I suppose the same is true of Simon, and the same is true with each & every one of us. It even sounds a bit pious to say ‘leave me alone, Jesus, I’m not good enough for you…’ when really, if we’re honest with ourselves, it’s more like: “leave me alone Jesus, I’m not good enough for you….and besides, I’m pretty comfortable being not good enough.”
What follows is another fork in the road in the story. Just like Jesus could’ve left as soon as he was done teaching the crowds, he could’ve left NOW. “Ok, Simon, you want me to leave, I’m outa here.” But he doesn’t. He ABSOLVES him (“fear not”), and that produces a CHANGE that is every bit as miraculous as the great haul of fish. Simon, and his companions, leave all for a life of discipleship.
Cheers,
TM
Some key thoughts/ideas going in…
The readings continue to be about unlikely instruments/circumstances that reveal God’s glory in Jesus. Answering the call & leaving everything also seem to be key thoughts.
Vs 1: by “hearing Jesus,” the crowds are hearing the word of God (logon tou Theou).
Vs 3: Sitting teaching in a boat, or teaching in a synagogue or teaching on a hillside; regardless, TEACHING is the primary programmatic function of Jesus. As exemplar, we could say that it is also supposed to be the primary programmatic function of the Church.
Vs 4: “Put out to the deep.” This is an interesting turn. The teaching session is over. Jesus could’ve said “thanks” to Simon & asked to be rowed ashore. Going to the deep is necessary, tho, to catch the great shoal of fish. Was this Jesus’ “payment” for use of the boat, or simply THE SIGN used to draw these fishermen to him as disciples? (if so, it initially backfires in vs 8).
Vs 8: Simon says: “go away from me…” this is a normal response to a theophany. Jesus responds “don’t be afraid” (mey phobou, words of absolution). This is ALWAYS God’s response to the penitent sinner (cf the prayer of humble access: “but you are the same Lord, whose nature is ALWAYS TO HAVE MERCY).
Vs 11: What is the relationship between “leaving all” and following? I sense that the “all” would’ve inhibited following….
Going in to this Sunday, to say nothing of the casual worship service that will occur tonight, I have multiple thoughts swirling around in my head. First, I think this is the sort of text that confronts us with the TWO JESUSES issue. Critical scholars love to talk about the “historical Jesus” and the “post-resurrection Jesus.” The historical Jesus was the man, the apocalyptic prophet who lived two thousand years ago. But as far as they’re concerned, he also died and stayed dead two thousand years ago. On the other hand, the post-resurrection Jesus, or the “Jesus of faith” is the Jesus of mythology that came into existence when his followers wanted to keep following him, even though he’d been killed by the Romans. I read an interesting blip online about this, and related to the text:
“There’s a reason why Marcus Borg, in The Heart of Christianity, labors to disjoin the "pre-Easter Jesus" from the "post-Easter Jesus." it is easier, I think, to be in the boat with Borg’s historical Jesus -- wisdom teacher/movement initiator/social prophet -- than with Jesus the Resurrected Christ who rocks the heck out of my dead and dying world. Though Jesus tells us, "Don’t be afraid" when he promises to teach us to fish like him, it’s scary. Get out of here, Jesus.”
That is a very good point. The wisdom-teacher Jesus who died and stayed dead two thousand years ago isn’t very scary, doesn’t call us to do much, and doesn’t radically change our lives. Of course, as a brief aside, he’s also not there with us in our dark moments of the soul or walking with us in the valley of the shadow of our death. From the text, it’s obvious that the “two Jesuses” are actually one and the same.
Which brings me to Simon’s reaction: "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" I can think of two reasons why he reacted like this. The first is close to Isaiah’s reaction in the 1st reading for the day (Is 6) where—when confronted with the scene of the heavenly throne room—Isaiah says: “woe is me, I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips.” In other words, he is seeing/witnessing something SO HOLY, the realization of his own un-holiness is enough to make him believe that he is going to DIE in the next 2 seconds…..that it’s only a matter of seconds before lightning strikes him dead where he stands. This could very well be part of what’s troubling Simon. Being in the presence of THAT MUCH holiness (for only that could produce the miracle he just witnessed) was massively uncomfortable given his own un-holiness, so he does the only natural thing, he asks Jesus to LEAVE. [Interesting sidenote…..last week’s reading from Luke 4 where the entire town of Nazareth rejects Jesus is followed by this week’s reading where the Chief of the Apostles, initially, rejects him also].
But there’s also another side to this rejection that bears mentioning. I cannot help but think of the dialog between Jacob Marley’s ghost & Scrooge:
Marley: You will be haunted by three spirits…
Scrooge: [whose countenance fell at these words] Is that the chance and hope you mentioned, Jacob?
Marley: It is
Scrooge: I think I’d rather not
In other words, there was a ‘comfort’ of sorts that Scrooge had in who he was. To one degree or another I suppose the same is true of Simon, and the same is true with each & every one of us. It even sounds a bit pious to say ‘leave me alone, Jesus, I’m not good enough for you…’ when really, if we’re honest with ourselves, it’s more like: “leave me alone Jesus, I’m not good enough for you….and besides, I’m pretty comfortable being not good enough.”
What follows is another fork in the road in the story. Just like Jesus could’ve left as soon as he was done teaching the crowds, he could’ve left NOW. “Ok, Simon, you want me to leave, I’m outa here.” But he doesn’t. He ABSOLVES him (“fear not”), and that produces a CHANGE that is every bit as miraculous as the great haul of fish. Simon, and his companions, leave all for a life of discipleship.
Cheers,
TM
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